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Louis C. K. Learns to Appreciate an Emmy Nomination

By Dave Itzkoff July 14, 2011 3:20 pmJuly 14, 2011 3:20 pm

Michael Appleton for The New York TimesLouis C. K., an Emmy nominee for his FX series “Louie.”

We anticipated that Louis C. K. might react to the news that he’d been nominated for an Emmy (as lead actor in his FX comedy series, “Louie”) the same way that a timid audience member might react to his so-honest-till-you-can’t-take-it-anymore standup performances: by covering his eyes and hanging his head in shame.

Television

But no: as Louis C. K. discussed the distinction, for a comedy series on which he chaperones a disastrous field trip for his daughter, acclimates to his mother’s announcement that she is a lesbian, gorges himself on junk food and is possibly molested by his dentist, he sounded like he was experiencing a previously unknown feeling of pride.

“For me, I already get a massive reward for getting to do this show,” Louis C. K. said Thursday afternoon in a phone interview. “I get completely 100 percent of what I want without these things. But it’s a huge plus for the show and for the network.”

Though he admits to possessing “pretty good professional confidence” about his abilities as a standup, Louis C. K. said, “Most of the TV meetings that I’ve taken in the last few years have been people asking me, would you like to develop a show for a young comedian?” For the FX network to now put him at the center of his own series, he said, is “like a really broken-down old ball player who was about to retire, he got signed by the Expos and I just want to win them a World Series as payback.”

But the more Louis C. K. talked about his latest Emmy nominations – he’s also been recognized for writing the “Poker/Divorce” episode of “Louie,” and for writing and editing the standup special “Hilarious” and won the award previously as a writer of “The Chris Rock Show” – the more a familiar, self-deprecating side of him began to emerge.

“I’d love to be able to say that I’m just a pure artist and that awards are meaningless,” he said, “but getting the nomination is cool. It does feel good. Partly because there’s a lot of insecurity in being in this business, because it’s based on people’s like or dislike of comedy, which is pretty fickle. And I’ve got kids to feed. But this feels like, hopefully, you’ve got a ladder underneath you, rather than a frayed rope and a chasm.”

But wait! There was more self-flagellation to come.

“The spikes that I put on the rocks underneath me are pretty solid ones,” Louis C. K. said, “so when I do fall and I shall, maybe one of those spikes will catch me and I won’t fall as far down.”